


Call Out My Name

by maniclust



Category: Hanson (Band)
Genre: Comedy, Fluff, Gen, One Shot, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Songwriting, annoying brother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-03
Updated: 2013-09-03
Packaged: 2019-06-19 18:53:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15516324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maniclust/pseuds/maniclust
Summary: Summary:No matter what, Zac will always be there for Taylor.Excerpt:"You are too hard on yourself, Tay. You always have been. No one is perfect. Not even you, as much as you wish you were."





	Call Out My Name

My key stuck in the lock of the office door the way it always did. Isaac and Taylor never claimed to have the same problem, but I was suspicious that they just wanted to make me feel like I was losing my mind. When the door finally opened, it was in unison with me throwing my weight against it which caused me to tumble ungracefully onto the concrete floor.

"Fuck!" I growled, slamming my palm against the floor as though that would make it any better. 

I didn't even need to look up when I heard the tell-tale sound of the wheels rolling against the floor from the offices. Taylor was scooting to the doorway to see what had happened. Isaac would have gotten on his feet, but not Tay. Tay would push himself anywhere that chair would take him to avoid walking at all costs this early in the morning. Only after a requisite amount of caffeine would the effort be taken.

"Rough morning?" he questioned.

"You have no idea. Please tell me you have breakfast."

"Egg McMuffin on your desk." 

The rolling of the wheels signaled that he wasn't going to get up to see if I was all right. His assessment from the door was good enough in his mind. Normally, he showed me more concern, so that could only mean one thing - Taylor had a Taylor issue and nothing else in the world mattered but Taylor.

Dusting myself off, I locked the offending door behind me before making my way to my desk. I was thankful that I hadn't stopped to pick up my own breakfast or it would likely be smeared all over the floor. I was also grateful that whatever problem was plaguing Taylor, he still had the foresight to feed me. 

"Thank you."

His back was to me as I sat down to devour the sandwich and hashbrown that were still warm. He hadn't been here long. No sign of Isaac. That was typical lately. Whenever we got close to leaving on tour Ike lagged more and more, spending as much time at home as he could. 

If Tay had been in a better mood I would have told him about the projectile vomit my daughter had produced in my direction that warranted not one, but two showers that morning. The hunch of his shoulders as I chewed let me know that if I started talking he wasn't going to listen. 

After grabbing a Dr. Pepper to wash down my sandwich, I scooted my chair across the room and sat perpendicular to him. I was never good at giving him any kind of personal space and now that I was fed I was ready to tackle the Taylor problem head on.

"Natalie?"

Silence.

"The kids?"

Silence. 

"Ike?"

Silence. 

"The kids?"

Silence.

"Tour?"

A sigh. Tour. That was it. Now to get him to open his mouth and speak.

Twenty minutes passed with me trying to pinpoint what exactly about tour was bothering him. Normally, Taylor was ready to go. He wanted to be on stage every night making love to his piano and soaking up the attention of the fans. So, whatever was bothering him had to be pretty deep for him to still be scowling. 

"You have to give me something here," I sighed. "I'm your best friend, but I am not a Taylor Hanson mind reader. Hell, I wouldn't even want to be. I bet you're pretty scary in that head of yours sometimes."

"Fuck you."

A reaction! Finally, he was softening up. Usually all it took was an insult to his ego to crack that shell around him. 

Now that he was cracked I knew that I just had to wait for him to come to me. Scooting my chair back, I opened my laptop so that I could peruse my email. In a sly bit of manipulation, I put on headphones and started to sing. One of our own songs. One that I had written specifically for him. In a time like this when he wouldn't crack and I had to pull out all the stops. It was a secret weapon that he secretly hated for me to use, but I was not above manipulation. Especially not when manipulating the master himself.

"If you should lose your way I'll be right there if you call out my name," I crooned.

Huffing, he threw down his pen and turned to look at me. "You know, if anyone ever finds out you wrote that song for me they are going to think you're in love with me."

"I'm not?"

"Zachary."

"Joking," I said, throwing my hands in the air. "I can think that you are beautiful without being in love with you."

"Fuck. Off." 

He had growled at me, but he hadn't turned back around. Victory. He was finally going to speak and let me know what was on his mind. 

"My voice isn't getting better. Am I going to be able to make it through an entire tour? I don't know and it's terrifying," he finally confessed. 

It wasn't a secret that Taylor's voice wasn't what it once was and everyone knew it. Isaac and I had seen the signs, but no one nitpicked about it more than Taylor himself. He was a perfectionist and it wasn't perfect. We'd had this same conversation countless times over the last year, but it never got easier. Watching him struggle with this was like watching him struggle with a drug addiction. It brought him down and stole the light from his eyes. 

Once more, my chair rolled across the floor so that I could put myself in front of him. Our knees were touching and I took his hands into mine. We'd always been close. Always been touchy feely with one another, and I knew when he needed that bit of affection.

"You are still seeing the vocal coach right? He hasn't recommended surgery since you took that rest. Has that changed?"

"No, but I don't think I'm getting any better."

"You are too hard on yourself, Tay. You always have been. No one is perfect. Not even you, as much as you wish you were."

His eyes rose up to look at mine with that scowl still on his face. Talking to him when he was like this was a bit like being a broken record. If he wasn't happy with his performance, no one was going to convince him otherwise. 

Dropping my head down to be in his sight line, I peered into his eyes. He didn't look away from me so I grinned at him. 

"Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?" I teased.

"Yes, right here," he said, pointing to his throat. "And then on my lips for good measure."

My eyes widened as I stared at him and he broke out into laughter, shoving me away with that strength he kept well hidden. 

"You're such a fucker," I growled.

"I know, but you're gullible. Plus, Kate texted me to let me know you were going to be late because Junia threw up in your mouth, so you aren't putting your lips on me. Anywhere. Ever."

And with that he was back. I knew that it would be short lived, but his reverie was broken. We were actually going to be able to get some work done. The light that was normally in his eyes wasn't as bright as it should be, though, so I knew that later I was going to get a phone call. He would be ready to talk and once again I would tell him how wonderful he was. I was an enabler for his ego, but he was my best friend, and I'd do anything for him.


End file.
